


Heed a message, I'm the runner

by heavenisalibrary



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 16:31:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavenisalibrary/pseuds/heavenisalibrary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Then you should've done whatever she did! She's not even all Time Lord and she figured it out. If you ask me you're putting that stupidly big head to waste,” Donna continued, flicking him in the head. He looked to River briefly for help, but she merely shrugged her shoulders. He sighed, but before he could even speak, Donna lurched forward and hugged him again, squashing his outstretched hand between them, and he didn't even mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heed a message, I'm the runner

**Author's Note:**

> Old fic for some exchange quite a while ago. River saves Donna since the Doctor mucked that whole thing up and I hate it.

The Doctor should have been more surprised when he found himself with an armful of Donna, especially because he hadn't even _parked_ the TARDIS yet, but any sort of shock he may have felt was immediately tempered and explicated by the purred _hello sweetie_ that followed

He flailed about a bit, his arms waving to and fro, before he choked back something not far from a sob and embraced Donna fully, encircling her tightly in his arms and pressing a kiss to her hair. He felt his eyes begin to water as he looked at River over Donna's shoulder, and his grin matched hers, and he didn't have the _faintest_ idea how she'd done it, but she _had_ and that was all that mattered. He held her for what felt like an eternity, and when she finally pulled away, the laughter bubbled forth, pure elation at being able to see—really _see—_ his best friend again, but any sort of terribly cheesy proclamation was cut short by a sharp slap. 

The Doctor gasped and spluttered as Donna shoved him sharply, looking positively _livid_ as he stumbled backward onto the console.

“You scrawny, stupid git!” she cried, pushing against his chest again. “Who the hell do you think you are, making _my_ decisions—I always knew you were a stupid man, I just never realized how properly, _properly_ idiotic you could be, given the opportunity! For god's sake, I don't know how you're still _alive_ without someone to watch over you—”

River cleared her throat.

“—right, well, good thing you have River here or else who _knows_ what kind of stupidity you could've gotten up to.”

The Doctor scowled. “Oi, I was just trying to _help—_ you know, save your life. _Again_.”

“Then you should've done whatever she did! She's not even all Time Lord and she figured it out. If you ask me you're putting that _stupidly_ big head to waste,” Donna continued, flicking him in the head. He glared, reaching up to rub his head. He looked to River briefly for help, but she merely shrugged her shoulders, winking at him before disappearing down a corridor. He sighed, and lifted a hand to wag a finger in her face, but before he could even speak, Donna lurched forward and hugged him again, squashing his outstretched hand between them, and he didn't even mind. Then she pulled away and—

“I _do_ like what you've done with the place, though. The TARDIS looks great, though I can't quite say the same for you...”

Her voice grew distant as she wandered away from him to follow River down the hallway. The Doctor paused for a moment, sniffing, straightening his shirtsleeves, and wiping at the corners of his eyes before he bounded off after them, already squawking about how River had called him hot once, and she hadn't even _liked_ him then, she'd been planning to kill him, so if that wasn't the truth—

 

 

They spent hours exploring the intricacies of the TARDIS, perhaps even days. Time passed differently within the blue box, and such was the joy of reuniting with Donna that the Doctor never even paused to contemplate how long they'd been at it. They paused to spend a few hours having tea, laughing and joking—mostly at the Doctor's expense—and a rather extensive amount of time in the swimming pool, which had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the way River looked in a swimsuit whatsoever. They found a room that contained a pseudo-Prehistoric forest, and a room with pliant walls like giant balloons. Donna poked fun at the Doctor with every other sentence, but when they strolled down the corridors, Donna's shoulder would bump against his, or he'd catch her grinning at him when he wasn't looking, and he knew that she'd missed him. _Nearly_ as much as he'd missed her.

“So, Donna Noble,” the Doctor said, his voice warm and fond as he leaned against the doorway of Donna's newfound bedroom, “what now?”

“What, no sale's pitch? 'All of time and space' and other such nonsense?”

The Doctor laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know better than most that my—whisking people off to see the universe ends in heartbreak. I've missed you. I'm _overjoyed_ that you're here, that River fixed what I—what I _couldn't_... but the best thing for you is to get off of the TARDIS as soon as possible. Before I muck things up again.”

“You did, you know,” she said, suddenly thoughtful.

“What?”

“Muck things up.”

“I know I—”

“But you made some things better,” Donna said, “you keep forgetting that. When I couldn't remember it was like—like having this big dark _thing_ in my head I couldn't touch. Weird dreams. Strange thoughts I couldn't explain. Recognizing faces I was sure I'd never seen. But I was _better_. It took me a little while, but I started doing things. Taking classes. Joined a book club. Realized that I could do _more_ than I had been—realized _I_ am more than...”

“Donna Noble,” the Doctor said quietly, reaching out to tap her gently on the nose, “the most important woman in the whole of creation.”

“Rubbish,” she snorted, patting him on the cheek. She stepped back from the doorway, beginning to pull the door closed, but not before winking and adding, “just a bit more important than I knew before you, sunshine.”

The TARDIS hummed happily as the Doctor pressed his hand to the door briefly, and while he worried for Donna if she stayed with him again—given his terrible propensity for ruining everything  he touched—he knew she would be safe in the TARDIS, knew that she would be happy, and it was enough for the time being.

 

 

The Doctor found River curled up in an armchair in the library she tended to favor, her boots resting beside the chair, her bare toes shifting restlessly. Even when relaxing, even when _calm_ and content, River was never completely still. He watched her from a distance for a few moments as she turned pages with an impossible quickness, a small smile creasing her lips.

“What're you reading?” he asked finally, and she barely glanced up from her page.

“History of the Pakhar.”

The Doctor wrinkled his nose. “Gerbil people?”

“Hamsters, sweetie. I take it we haven't done that yet.”

“ _Hamster people—_ that's brilliant, loads better than _gerbils_ , oh, I can't wait!”

She raised a brow at him. “Sweetie, the Pakhar have very few redeeming qualities. Just think about what a hamster's cage smells like, to start.” When he looked as though he were about to object, she just rolled her eyes and shut the book, placing it on the armrest of her chair. “At any rate, you'd best not read this just yet... or best not read it _ever_ , if we've any hope of keeping your ego in check.”

The Doctor sniffed. “I _was_ coming here to thank you. Not sure I want to anymore.”

“Oh, by all means, sweetie, continue.”

Grinning, the Doctor moved with an erratic sort of grace to collapse at the foot of her chair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on her knees, taking her hands in his and kissing each knuckle. “ _Thank you_ ,” he said earnestly, and she just smiled, removing her hands from his to brush her fingers through his hair. “For me, of course, but for Donna. Thank you for Donna. I'm still not quite sure what you did or what made you do it, but River—it means _so much_ that you did.”

“You're welcome, sweetie,” she said.

“Honestly, River, I could bloody kiss you.”

“You'd better.”

The Doctor grinned, leaning forward, his hands skimming up the sides of her thighs as he pressed his lips to hers, her mouth immediately softening and opening beneath his, allowing his tongue to caress hers, exploring her almost worshipfully as she twisted her fingers in his hair, her nails gently scraping against his scalp and drawing a soft groan from him. He stood slowly, careful not to break the kiss as he trailed his hands up her sides, as he hovered over her in the chair, cradling her face as he broke from her mouth to place a kiss on her nose, on both eyelids as they fluttered closed, on both corners of her mouth.

“I love you,” he said, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. She smiled at him, her eyes warm and bright, and his hearts felt as though they were going to explode with the magnitude of his affection for her. They both shifted, and within a moment he was settling in the chair with her resting on his lap, her forehead pressed to his as he insinuated his hands beneath her shirt. “Where have you been all my life?” he asked, bending to press a kiss to her sternum as he pulled her shirt up over her head, relishing the breathy moans he was met with as he ran his tongue along her collar bones, sucking at the base of her throat. 

“Hiding from you.”

“ _Oi_!”

She laughed, warm and bright, rolling her hips against him and unhooking her bra. She tossed it behind her, joining her boots and shirt on the floor. “I would never hide from you, my love.” He gripped her hips tightly, and she arched into him—he buried his face in her breasts, licking and nipping and sucking on her soft skin, his hands running up and down her back as she shifted her legs to straddle him, her weight on her knees. River pulled his head up to meet hers, kissing him deeply as he busied his hands with the stays of her trousers, hurriedly shoving them off of her hips as she worked to unbutton him as well. It took quite a bit of maneuvering, but eventually they were both naked, skin to skin and grinning as she held her close, kissing her languidly. “Doctor?” she asked as they broke apart, punctuating her question with a  quick peck.

“Mm?” he said, sliding one hand between her legs and beginning a slow, steady movement.

“I lied.”

“Oh?” he asked, grinning as she bit her lip, taking a moment to gather herself before responding.

“Indeed,” she panted, her back arching as he slipped one finger between her folds, twisted it, and then withdrew it again. “I would— _oh_ —hide from you if you were wearing a fez.”

The Doctor snorted as he leaned forward to bite down on the side of her neck rather firmly, causing her to let out a brief but delightful shriek. He pressed his finger into her once more, and then a second, moving in and out as he pressed his thumb to her clit, steady and hard, moving faster and faster as she gripped his shoulders and threw her head back, her panting shifting to moans to cries until she came apart, her body going slack against him as he pressed his lips to her wild hair, stroking his hands over her warm, damp skin.

“Would you really?” he murmured into her ear, kissing her temple. 

“Absolutely,” she said with a grin as she kissed him, her hands already settling between them shifting him between her legs until she slid down onto him. She pulled back to watch his face go rigid and then slack, lips parted, eyes closed, head lolling back slightly as his hands settled tightly around her hips, encouraging her as she began to move, gasping. His hands shifted, feeling the strength of the muscles in her legs as he traced his fingers down to her knees and back up to grip her ass, pulling her down as far as he could as he thrust upward, and they both gasped at the depth. His eyes were wide as they continued to move, taking all of her in, every pull of every muscle, the long line of her throat as she threw her head back, the bounce of her breasts, how she went white-knuckled holding his shoulders. He reached a hand up and fisted it in her hair, pulling her mouth to his and kissing her fiercely, tongues and teeth and passion, but it wasn't enough—he wanted to _feel_ her, wanted—wanted—wanted _more_. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as he maneuvered them clumsily off of the chair and onto the ground so that he was on top of her, and began thrusting into her with a renewed vigor. She wrapped her legs around him, gasping as his movements ground against her clit, drawing her to a sudden second climax followed almost immediately by his own, and the library went very quickly from shaking with movement and loud cries to being silent save for their heavy breathing.

“Doctor?” River said quietly, stroking his hair as he settled against her, resting his head on her chest. He hummed in response, clutching her with one hand and resting the other against the ground, feeling the subtle but pleasant vibrations of the TARDIS beneath and all around them. He could feel her happiness like a physical entity in the room, warm and gentle, like the release of a good laugh after a long, hard day. “I love you too.”

The Doctor smiled. River sighed, content. The TARDIS hummed. And Donna Noble slept peacefully for the first time since she couldn't remember.


End file.
